Triple F-Rated
We are proud to support gender diversity and are committed to a 50/50 ratio of male-to-female and non-binary filmmakers across the Festival programme. We work in partnership with F-Rating, so look out for these labels: F-Rating: Assigned to films directed and/or written by women. Triple F-Rating: Assigned to films with significant women on screen and directed and/or written by women
Cambridge Connections
Discover short films from across Cambridgeshire, celebrating local stories, fresh talent and the people and places that connect our region.
Shorts: Unbroken
Across borders, generations and identities, five short films tell stories that refuse to be silenced and stand their ground.
Shorts: Love That Remains
From sisters to fractured marriages, love rarely disappears entirely. Six short films explore how it changes shape.
Shorts: Turning Tides
Identity, tradition and loss meet the courage to embrace change. Six short films explore resilience and transformation.
Shorts: Power Play
Who holds the power, who pays the price, and what happens when the balance shifts? Five short films explore the tensions beneath the surface.
Shorts: Friendly Encounters
A pigeon, needy neighbours, statues and a psychedelic toad. Four short films find unlikely friendships where we need them most.
Viva
After breast cancer, a woman’s hunger for desire and freedom unsettles the life she has built. Aina Clotet directs and stars in this fearless, intimate debut.
Truly Naked
Alec films porn for his father’s business. Falling for classmate Nina opens up a different kind of intimacy in this tender story of teenage vulnerability.
Tricontinental, letter to open in case of
An archival tribute to filmmaker and activist Michèle Firk, whose commitment to liberation took her from Algeria’s underground networks to Guatemala’s guerrilla struggle.
The Selfish Giant
Two Bradford lads chase quick cash through copper theft, scrapyard politics and horse-cart racing. Clio Barnard’s moving fable puts their friendship to the test.
The Secret Garden
A lonely girl, a Yorkshire mansion and a magical garden. Mary Lennox discovers friendship and hope in this timeless family favourite.
The Dreamed Adventure
In rural Bulgaria, archaeologist Veska tries to keep the peace between opposing gangs. A simmering thriller about buried secrets, violence and patriarchy.
The Blood Countess
Isabelle Huppert’s Countess Báthory hunts a mystical book across Vienna and Bohemia in Ulrike Ottinger’s camp, comic vampire romp.
The Beauty of the Donkey
After six decades in exile, Asslan returns to Kosova with his daughter Dea. Together, they rebuild his childhood memories in a moving encounter with the past.
Sad Girlz
Two teenage swimmers are fierce rivals and best friends. When Paula is assaulted, La Maestra’s attempt to avenge her sends their lives spiralling.
Rocks
When her mother disappears, 15-year-old Rocks hides the truth to keep herself and her little brother out of care. A moving celebration of girlhood and friendship.
Rocket Girl
Eleni loves building rockets, despite being told she cannot match her male peers. An affectionate documentary about girlhood, engineering and perseverance.
Nina Roza
A Montreal art dealer returns to rural Bulgaria in search of a six-year-old painting prodigy. Is her extraordinary talent all it seems?
My Father and Qaddafi
Jihan’s father travelled to Cairo in 1993 and never returned. Through family and state archives, she retraces the disappearance of a Libyan opposition leader.
My Family and Other Clowns
As Piip and Tuut’s clowning fame grows, their eldest daughter cares for her siblings. An intimate documentary about family, ambition and the cost of chasing dreams.
Mouse
Arkansas, 2002. As graduation approaches and her closest friendship falls apart, shy Callie must discover who she is beyond someone else’s shadow.
Little Women
While the Civil War rages, the March sisters pursue their dreams and find their own paths. A warm, moving tale of ambition, love and family.
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
Five friends grow up and drift apart after their council housing is demolished. Clio Barnard’s portrait of friendship opens the 45th Cambridge Film Festival.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming
As Russia invades Ukraine, Oleh’s gender transition collides with wartime expectations of masculinity. A tender portrait of queer love under pressure.
Give Me the Ball!
From the Battle of the Sexes to the fight for women’s tennis, Billie Jean King changed sport. A witty, appreciative documentary celebrates her extraordinary legacy.
Freakier Friday
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite as a new round of body-swapping chaos turns wedding plans and a growing family upside down.
Daughters of the Forest
Two young Indigenous scientists seek to protect Mexico’s ancestral mycelium knowledge. A poetic sci-fi documentary about preserving the past and reimagining the future.
CFF 45th Screening: Portrait of a Lady On Fire
Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant star in an entrancing, slow-burning romance on the Brittany coast, chosen to celebrate CFF’s 45th anniversary.
Bend It Like Beckham
Football-mad Jess dreams of playing professionally. Secretly joining a women’s team, she finds friendship and the courage to challenge her family’s expectations.
BAAB
After her twin sister’s sudden death, Wahida is drawn by tinnitus into a surreal world where grief takes physical form. A dark fantasy scored by A.R. Rahman.
Artists in Residence
Three women in their nineties recall life, art and shared space in New York. Katie Jacobs’ documentary celebrates the messy beauty of creating a life together.
Ali & Ava
A rainy-day lift brings Ali and Ava together over music and shared humour. Clio Barnard’s tender romance asks whether love can outlast the weight of the past.